CELTIC TIGER COMES HOME TO DUBLIN!
December
19th, 2005. The Point Theatre was the scene of a record sell-out for shows in
Ireland this morning, as 'Celtic Tiger' tickets went on sale at 9 am and were
completely sold-out in 8 minutes!
The single performance of the
show at the Point to launch the 2006 European Tour, brings Michael's new masterpiece
to the land of its origins for the first time, and back to the birthplace of his
first show, 'Riverdance', which was launched here as a full show February 1995,
and 'Lord of the Dance' launched here June 28th 1996.
Fans from across
the globe will gather in Dublin for this milestone event of 'Celtic Tiger', made
a special celebration as 2006 marks the tenth anniversary of 'Lord of the Dance'.
For many, it will be the first chance to experience the historic Point Theatre
beside Dublin's River Liffey.
See http://www.michaelflatley.com/newsevents2.cfm?id=261
PLAYING FOR PURE PLEASURE...
The
night after the 2005 US/Canadian tour of Celtic Tiger ended in Fairfax, New Hampshire
(November 26th) Michael met up with his old friends The Chieftains, to help open
Matt Malloy’s latest Irish pub – The Shashkeen, in Manchester, Massachusetts.
Here is a special account of the evening, from one lucky aficionado of Irish music
who was there. Erin has been playing the flute and piccolo for 20 years and has
been playing in a concert band from Lebanon, New Hampshire, called the Upper Valley
Community Band for over 10 years.
(Photos of Michael and the musicians by
Sarah Medieros)
While growing up, my parents introduced me to many genres of music and I have always liked Irish music the best. Having the Chieftans and Michael Flatley in our humble city of Manchester, New Hampshire was a dream come true for me. I saw Lord of the Dance about eight years ago and during the performance Michael came out and played the flute on stage. Until that moment I did not know he played, and what was already admiration for his dancing talent became awe for his musical versatility.
After learning that Michael Flatley, the Chieftans, and other musicians would be performing for the grand opening of the new Irish pub, The Shaskeen, I was of course, not going to pass this opportunity to see the show.
So naturally, there I stood, outside on a cold November night hoping to enjoy the performance. It turned out to be too cold to play outside, but the crowd watched the players on a screen mounted next to the stage in the street. The owner of the Shaskeen, Tom McCarthy, along with the Mayor of Manchester and the honored guests stepped outside to say a few words and to cut the opening ribbon. After this ceremony the, spectators began to crowd into the pub. It seemed that my friends and I were not going to be able to get in, so we went around the corner for dinner and a beer.
| Afterwards we decided to check The Shaskeen again and to our surprise the crowd had dissipated. We hurried in and wandered around inside the pub for a while at first not seeing the musicians. Suddenly Michael Flatley was right in front of me. He walked by and sat in a corner of the pub with many other musicians. They were holding flutes, fiddles, bodhrans and a harp. They started to play and the music filled air. There was a captivating look of delight on Michael's face as he played.
|
The energy from the music and the players was exhilarating and I did not want it to stop. Michael graciously let me hold his flute during a brief break. It was definitely different than the concert flute I have been playing for over twenty years. They started playing again making the night electric. It certainly was a once in a lifetime evening, one I will never forget. With future musical events planned for The Shaskeen I intend to go again and again to feel the magic of the music. Who knows? Perhaps the proprietor can convince Michael and the Chieftans to come back and play at the pubs' anniversary in November of 2006. Peter Molloy manages The Shaskeen for Tom. Peter is (I believe) Matt Molloy's son. He is a phenomenal flute player himself, and Matt Molloy was there for the opening as well. Matt, Peter and Michael were all clustered together playing music with the other musicians that night. Tom McCarthy owns two other bars, The Burren in Somerville, MA and The Skellig in Waltham, MA. The Shaskeen is his newest edition, and the website is www.theshaskeen.com. There is a nice picture of the front on their website, although it isn't quite up and running just yet. |
|
For
more on that great night, see -
http://www.newhampshire.com/articles/showularticle.cfm?id=63508
